ABSTRACT
Unlike calibrated machines, humans, as measuring instruments, are quite variable over time, variable among themselves, and very susceptible to bias or attention drift (Meilgaard et al. 2007). Moreover, response to a stimulus is likely affected by other stimuli in the environment and by previous similar experiences. However, in spite of these limitations, measurement of human sensory perception is necessary. Considering the importance of sensory perception in food selection, product developers, food
scientists, and sensory scientists need to understand how food products are perceived (see Chapter 6 for a detailed discussion on human multisensory perception). At the end of the day, a product’s success in the market is determined by how consumers actually perceive it. Consequently, a variety of standardized sensory testing methods have been developed to be able to measure human perception of food products. By controlling the experimental procedure and the conditions in which the test is performed, human perception can be objectively measured (Eggert and Zook 2008).
